Robert Rodriguez wants Avengers-style crossover for his cinematic universe

In an exclusive interview with Dexerto for new Ben Affleck thriller Hypnotic, writer-director Robert Rodriguez said he wants an Avengers-style crossover for his cinematic universe, while sharing how that could play out. 

Robert Rodriguez is a one-of-a-kind filmmaker. An auteur in every sense of the word, he often shoots, writes, edits, produces, and scores many of his movies. 

Although he’s branched out into new territory over the years, having jumped between pulpy neo-Westerns and b-movies to kids’ flicks and sci-fi action, he’s almost always working outside of the constraints of Hollywood, letting his creativity lead the charge. 

And while his genre-jumping filmography might not seem like it falls under one roof, it’s long been believed they are all within the same cinematic universe. Though it might seem a stretch for other directors, Rodriguez did manage to tie together Spy Kids and Machete, after all. 

'Spy Kids' and 'Machete' take place in the same universe pic.twitter.com/5qGQZUojY5

— Film Easter Eggs & Details (@FilmEasterEggs) August 1, 2020

Robert Rodriguez wants Avengers-style crossover for his cinematic universe

Dexerto caught up with Rodriguez ahead of the release of his new movie Hypnotic, a mind-bending thriller with Ben Affleck in the lead role. Without giving away any spoilers, the movie features a number of ‘Rodriguez Cinematic Universe’ Easter eggs.

When we asked the man himself if he’d ever be up for an Avengers-style crossover, Rodriguez style, he said: “I wish. People have made some comic book version ideas for me about that, how to get them all to be in a world together. That would be really fun.”

He went on to discuss his iconic feature-length debut, El Mariachi, which he made on a shoestring budget of just $7,000, money he raised by volunteering in medical research studies for a “speed-healing drug.” This was something he referenced in his book Rebel Without a Crew, with a chapter titled: “I was a human lab rat”.

Elaborating on how this could tie his movies together, Rodriguez told us: “There’s a movie called Red 11, which was a $7,000 movie that we took to the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight a couple years back. And that one is almost like a prequel to Hypnotic. There’s some of the same shots and locations in that and it’s about a similar kind of thing. 

“It’s almost like where the lead characters might have met when they were first in college. So it’s kind of cool, it’s based on my medical experiments I had to do to pay for El Mariachi, a very weird hospital.” The filmmaker went on to suggest that his characters may have met here as they “have these abilities.”

Hypnotic dropped in US cinemas on May 12, 2023, with a UK theatrical release set for May 26, 2023. You can read our review of the movie here, and check out our other TV and movie hubs below: 

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